YouTube is raising the requirements for new creators to earn advertising and subscription revenue through the YouTube Partner Program. Starting February 1, 2027, applicants will need 8,000 qualified watch hours over the previous 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views within 90 days.
The current requirements are 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 valid public watch hours over 12 months or 10 million valid Shorts views over 90 days. YouTube said the new thresholds will not affect creators who are already members of the Partner Program.
The company disclosed the changes in its official announcement, describing them as the first significant changes to the program since 2018. YouTube said more than three million creators currently participate in the program.
Shorts Creators Face an Ongoing Revenue Threshold
YouTube is also changing how Shorts revenue is distributed. From February 1, creators will need to maintain at least 10 million qualified Shorts views over the previous 90 days to receive advertising and subscription revenue from Shorts.
Channels that fall below that level will remain in the Partner Program and can continue earning from long-form videos. Shorts revenue sharing will automatically resume once a channel again reaches the 10 million-view threshold.
YouTube said creators below the Shorts threshold will have access to other earning opportunities, including incentives tied to YouTube Shopping, brand deals, and starting or growing trends. The company has not yet provided full details about those programs.
The changes come as YouTube reports more than 200 billion Shorts views each day and more than one billion hours of daily viewing on televisions. The company said the higher thresholds are intended to reflect the platform’s growth.
Premium Lite Expands to More Markets
YouTube is also expanding Premium Lite to every country where YouTube Premium is available. The subscription provides ad-free viewing on most content, along with downloads and background playback.
YouTube said 60% of Premium Lite’s net subscription revenue will go into its creator revenue pool, compared with 30% for standard Premium. Money from those pools is distributed according to member watch time and views, with creators receiving 55% of the allocated revenue for long-form videos and 45% for Shorts.
The company said creators, on average, earn more when a viewer becomes a Premium subscriber than when that viewer watches advertising-supported content. Existing creators can review the new Partner Program terms through YouTube Studio before they take effect on February 1, 2027.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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